Practice to provide extended hours for more access

Building expansions, additional providers and providing Saturday office hours are just a few of the highlights dotting the history of Sentara Halifax Family Medicine since it first opened in 2009.

Now, Sentara Halifax Family Medicine is making one of the biggest changes ever, all in the name of providing more convenient access for patients.

Sentara Halifax Family Medicine will begin offering extended office hours on Sept. 1. The practice will be open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and both walk-ins and appointments are available. The practice will remain open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The goal of the extended hours is to provide patients more convenient access to high quality health care with shorter wait times.

“People don’t just get sick between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and we understand they may need to see the healthcare provider at an earlier or later time,” said Grey Watson, practice operations manager for Sentara Dominion Health Medical Associates. “We also understand that people who work may have a difficult time being away from their job, even for regular check-ups and appointments. We want to make it easier for patients to see their provider when it is most convenient for them.”

Sentara Halifax Family Medicine currently has eight providers, four physicians and four nurse practitioners. Healthcare services they offer include:

Family health care

Acute and chronic health care

Adult and child immunizations

Sports physicals

DOT physicals

Worker’s compensation care

As with all primary care and specialty care offices associated with Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital, patients also have the ability to register online with My Halifax Medical Record and get connected with their providers. The online portal provides additional ease of access for patients and helps provide a central location for personal health information. Patients can learn more by clicking on Patient Login at the top of sentara.com.

“We’ve worked hard to create a schedule with the providers and the staff which works well for them while offering the extended hours we want to provide our community,” Watson said. “We look forward to seeing how these extended hours are utilized by our community during the next three months. At that point we will evaluate the program and determine how to move forward and if any improvements need to be made.”